Phoenix ? Watching Amare Stoudemire score 50 points against the Portland Trail Blazers reminded teammate Quentin Richardson of one of the NBA’s greatest players.

“Amare Stoudemire looked like Wilt Chamberlain,” Richardson said after the Suns’ 117-98 victory over the Trail Blazers on Sunday night.

With the crowd of 18,166 cheering wildly in the final minutes as Stoudemire approached the 50-point mark, the fans received their wish with 43.2 seconds remaining when the Suns’ phenom scored on a 15-foot turnaround jump shot to hit the half-century mark.

“I wasn’t thinking about (scoring 50),” Stoudemire said. “I heard one of the fans say 46, and that’s when I thought about it, but I wasn’t pressing and trying to get 50 points. It just came to me in the flow of the game.

“It feels great to do it at the young age of 22,” he added. “That’s the tip of the iceberg.”

Stoudemire scored on a variety of shots — dunks, jumpers and power moves to the basket.

“It wasn’t all power tonight, because a lot of moves were finesse out there,” said Stoudemire, who also had 11 rebounds. “The power moves allow me to finesse it up and catch them off-guard.”

The Suns have the NBA’s best record at 26-4.

Richardson added 20 points, capping a key fourth-quarter 12-2 burst with a three-pointer, and Shawn Marion and Joe Johnson each scored 15. Darius Miles led Portland with 25 points.

Wizards 104, Hawks 101

Washington — Reserve guard Juan Dixon scored all 15 of his points in the fourth quarter.

Larry Hughes led the Wizards with 26 points, while Antawn Jamison added 19 and Gilbert Arenas 17 for Washington, which had lost its previous two games.

Antoine Walker, who finished with 18 points, hit a three-pointer to pull the Hawks to 102-101 with 3.1 seconds left. Jamison’s two free throws with 2.2 seconds remaining sealed the victory.

Clippers 89, 76ers 83

Los Angeles — Elton Brand had 26 points and 12 rebounds for the Clippers, and Corey Maggette added 26.

Allen Iverson scored 35 points while playing at least 40 minutes for the 10th straight game. He shot 16-for-30, while the 76ers’ other starters were a combined 4-for-20 from the field.

Pistons 100, Celtics 88

Auburn Hills, Mich. — Rasheed Wallace had 23 points and 12 rebounds to lead Detroit, which won for the fourth time in five games.

Six Pistons scored in double figures, including Tayshaun Prince, who had 18 points. Ben Wallace had eight points and 11 rebounds.

Rookie Tony Allen led Boston with a career-best 18 points. Jiri Welsch added 14 points, and Paul Pierce had 13 points.

The Celtics have won just one of their last five contests.

Mavs 123, Bucks 104

Dallas — Dirk Nowitzki scored 39 points, and Josh Howard scored 11 of his 25 in the fourth quarter.

Nowitzki, who scored 21 points in the first half, hit 14 of 25 shots from the floor for his 11th 30-point game of the season. The Mavericks shot 53 percent from the floor and equaled their season-high point total.

Kings 86, Spurs 81

Sacramento, Calif. — Peja Stojakovic had 28 points, including six three-pointers, and Mike Bibby scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half for the Kings.

Chris Webber added 14 points and 13 rebounds for Sacramento.

Rockets 99, Jazz 80

Houston — Tracy McGrady scored 25 points to help Houston win its third straight game.

Bob Sura tied season-highs with 24 points and 10 rebounds for the Rockets, who won for the 10th time in their last 14 games.

Lakers 99, Nuggets 91

Los Angeles — Kobe Bryant scored the Lakers’ first 14 points in the fourth quarter and finished with 42.

Bryant recorded his third consecutive 40-point game for the Lakers, who won back-to-back games for the sixth time this season.

Carmelo Anthony led Denver with 27 points in his second game back since missing six because of a sprained ankle.